As a brand owner or marketer, you’ve likely executed your entire year’s plans for marketing, and are in the home stretch right about now – seeing what other marketing value you can squeeze into 2017, and getting ready for a knock-em-dead 2018!
Most video production projects can take anywhere from a month to several months to complete, with the average project taking around 3-4 months from start to finish.
So, right about now is the crucial time to plan for Holidays and New Years as well as the first quarter, or even the first half, of 2018.
Check out this list of video marketing ideas you should be working on right now, and have a strong video ready for these prime engagement opportunities…
Holiday and New Year Messages
There is no doubt this has been a challenging year for many Americans. Many feel divided, and many personal relationships have been challenged, and many people are feeling less connected to one another.
It’s a crucial time for putting out a little extra “warm and fuzzy” energy. Put video to work where it matters most, by offering a personal message that engages on an emotional level, complete with sights and sounds of your business and its people.
Personal, emotional connection goes a long way, so start crafting your message to your clients, family, friends and fans and keep your own community connected.
Growth, Change and Improvement
The beginning of the year is prime time for self-improvement and empowerment. Many people create official “New Year’s resolutions” for themselves, or they are at least informally taking stock of their last year and looking ahead to the next year as an opportunity for growth and change. These are powerful motivations to take action and create change – for themselves or others.
This is a great time to promote products and services related to these areas:
- Health
- Fitness
- Education
- Finance
- Life Balance
- Home Improvement
- Relationships
- Travel or expansion
So, if your brand or business falls in line with any of these ideas, it’s time to start planning a powerful video to make the most of this “New Year, New Me!” collective mindset.
Taxmas
If you haven’t heard the term, “Taxmas” is a play on the word Christmas, referring to the time of year when most people receive their tax refunds, if they are due one.
It’s a time for economic stimulus as many people look at the tax refund as a jackpot of extra income they feel free to spend. It’s a time of year that triggers seasonal spending in a lot of different industries, especially online shopping.
Taxmas begins as early as the first week of February (immediately following the end of the previous financial year) so now is the perfect time to start planning a campaign designed to capitalize on the Taxmas spirit of spending!
New Product or Event Launches
You likely already have some idea of new products or events you’ll be launching in 2018, and right now is a great time to get started planning the video marketing assets that will help you maximize exposure and nurture sales.
Today, more than 50% of online shoppers look for a video that shows a product before making a purchase or before even visiting a store. A video is the first stop a prospective buyer will be making when exploring your offerings online.
A video testimonial or case study also works to support the sales of a service or event, as opposed to a physical product. These are hands down the most powerful video marketing assets any business can be using, so start planning for yours today.
MLK Jr. Day and Black History Month
These important milestones both fall in the beginning of each year, with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 15th and Black History Month being an important focus of the entire month of February.
These are times when many groups or organizations seek to share powerful and emotional videos complete with imagery and messages that connect and resonate with their supporters and community.
Depending on your business, brand, organization or campaign, there are likely other marketing ideas for which you should start planning a video component. The time it takes to get a video ready can vary but here are some general time estimates:
- Anywhere from a 1 week to 1 month to set production scope and budget, perform all pre-production tasks and schedule a film date or dates (plus any backups due to weather or other circumstances).
- 3 weeks past the film date for an editor to assemble a first full edit.
- Roughly 1 month to go though three rounds of review and update to that edit, plus final approval, file prep, export and delivery to you.
- A few days or more to upload, create your landing pages, emails, posts or online promotions that use the video.
This puts our general estimate around a minimum of 3 months from start to finish to create a new video. It could take less time if you already have footage or are using stock footage and imagery, or if what you are filming can be scheduled right away.
It could take longer depending on the timing to prepare what you would like filmed, and the intricacy of the edit. The only way to know for certain is to get started by talking to an expert video production agency today.
They can help you plan for prime opportunities for sales and brand connection in the early months of 2018, by working with you on these video marketing ideas right now.
